Mason -

“ Folded Hands” by Mason -

Submitted to Contest #278

I looked across the table and tried to make eye contact with him but he was looking down at his cards. I held my gaze hoping that he would look up at some point but he just kept staring down at his lap where he held his hand.  “Henry, c’mon man hurry up,” I told him while still holding my gaze. “There’s five of us. If everyone takes as long as you, we're gonna be here ‘til tomorrow.”  He took his time to respond. John was about to smack him across the head but he spoke,  “We didn’t establish a time limit,” he said with half hi...

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“Borrowed Time” by Mason -

“We gotta stop getting fast food, It’s killing us,” Joe said as he opened packages of barbecue sauce and honey mustard.  I looked at him and then the sauce packets with a pause to highlight the irony.  “It doesn’t seem like it’s killing you.”  “Well yeah,” he agreed, “these things take time. Persistence, dedication, and hardwork. A few more years of coming here every week, no, everyday, and we’ll get there buddy don’t worry.” He let out a little chuckle and dipped his burger in the honey mustard. “Yes, good things do take t...

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“Paying Attention” by Mason -

Submitted to Contest #234

Sheets of hail and barrages of lighting continued to hammer down with no end in sight for the little town. Alayna was furious, there was a meeting at 1:00 that she had to attend because of her contract, another at 4:00 where she hoped to meet some very affluent connections, and a flight out of this backwater town at 9:00. It was only 8:00 in the morning when she peered through her blinds and saw the havoc being caused by mother nature. One of her stupid children must have especially pissed her off today, Alayna thought as she got out of bed,...

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“A Letter to Mr. Birdshaw” by Mason -

Submitted to Contest #231

This story contains themes such as violence, death, war, existential qualms, PTSD, and other associated sensitive topics. Dear Mr. Birdshaw,I hope that you receive this testimony well, I am nothing but honest. I know journalism can be a tricky field and you are, to a certain extent, required to fit a certain narrative. I am disregarding this stipulation. Let the people read the truth, it takes no side, and if I don’t see this in the newspapers my point will only be strengthened. I know that I said I would give you a story of heroism and...

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“A Dream of Bavaria” by Mason -

Submitted to Contest #176

It was hard for me to wake up. I had been up all night taking shot after shot, and buying for anyone that could stomach more. It was a certain mixed drink that the bartender pushed me to try that really put me over the edge. It wasn’t even on the menu, and it came in a glass bottle closed off with a cork. I had already been too drunk to worry about any consequences, but I wished that I had. My head was pounding as I slipped out of the covers and opened the blinds in front of me. The light seemed to pierce my skull as it entered the room, my ...

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“The World I Left Behind” by Mason -

Submitted to Contest #115

I had been told that the entirety of my existence was bound to the forest of the North and East and to the sea of the South and West. Never have I passed these two boundaries that seemed to thwart any sparkle of wanderlust that I once felt as a young man. That is until I decided my demise, although unfavorable, was a much better fate than to stay within the claustrophobic borders of my world. The great and tragic irony of the matter was that this was not my world, in fact it was just a village, a village that I will no longer identify with i...

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